The Riverwoman's Dragon
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- € 10,99
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- € 10,99
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When the wise woman Magda Digby is suspected of murder, Owen Archer sets out to prove her innocence in this intricately plotted medieval mystery.
May, 1375. Owen Archer returns from London to find York in chaos. While the citizens are living in terror of the pestilence which is spreading throughout the land, a new physician has arrived, whipping up fear and suspicion against traditional healers and midwives. With the backing of the new archbishop, he is especially hostile towards Magda Digby, the wise woman who has helped and healed the people of York for many years. At the same time, Magda is uneasy about the arrival of two long-lost kinsfolk. Though they say they are seeking her help, she senses a hidden agenda.
Magda’s troubles deepen when she discovers a body in the river near her home – and finds herself under suspicion of murder. Days later, fire rips through a warehouse in the city. Amongst the charred debris lies the body of a man – not burned, but stabbed in the back. Could there be a connection to the corpse in the river?
Determined to prove Magda’s innocence, Owen sets out to find answers – but the more he uncovers, the deeper the mystery becomes . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A pestilence looms over 14th-century York, England, in Robb's craftily plotted 13th Owen Archer mystery (after 2020's A Choir of Crows). When Sam Toller, the trade agent for merchant Guthlac Woolcott, is found dead in the Ouse River with his skull cracked open, suspicion falls on Magda Digby, a healer some locals believe to be a witch. Sam's widow claims he angrily confronted Magda shortly before his death and accused the healer of causing Guthlac to become ill. Owen, now captain of the city bailiffs, investigates. Meanwhile, he must also find out who stabbed Matthew Brown, one of Guthlac's employees, in the back three times and left the body in the ruins of Matthew's burnt home. A possible link between the two murders emerges. The stakes rise as Owen struggles to maintain order in a city wracked by fear over the devastating illness. Robb effortlessly integrates details about the state of medical knowledge at the time through the characters of Magda and Owen's apothecary wife. This is a highlight in a solid series.
